The present invention is directed to a playing surface for a gaming table and a method of producing the same and, more particularly, to a man-made composite material for billiard and/or snooker tables that is cheaper and easier to manufacture as compared to slate table-tops and is more dense than wood table-tops.
The sport or game of billiards and snooker are well-known. One of the essential elements to the enjoyment and competitive nature of playing these sports is the consistent smoothness and flatness of the playing surface, along with the substantial density of the playing surface. A typical table is relatively large, as the playing surface of such tables often measures eight feet in length and four feet in width. In order to ensure that the playing surface is substantially flat over this relatively large area, the playing surface is typically constructed using dense materials, such as slate. The slate is then covered with a cloth material, such as felt, to form the playing surface. While slate playing surfaces are commonly used and sometimes preferred for billiard and/or snooker tables, alternative materials, such as wood, have become more commonplace.
Existing playing surface materials have a number of characteristics and/or attributes that could be improved upon. For example, slate is a natural rock that is only available in certain parts of the world and must be mined and transported at substantial costs, at least in part due to the relative great weight of slate. Due to slate's relative density and rigidity, sophisticated cutting tools are often required to cut and/or form the slate into the desired shape and/or thickness. Typically, a slate playing surface must be cut or divided into three substantially equal pieces or segments prior to installation in/on a billiard and/or snooker table to at least reduce the burden on the installers. In addition, mining slate causes undesirable environmental damage and the relatively high density (and thus weight) and brittle nature of slate makes it difficult to install and/or mount on/in a billiard or snooker table. Finally, slate is relatively difficult to cut into thin sections, causing most slate playing surfaces to be at least three-fourths (¾) of an inch thick, which generally increases the overall weight of the billiard or snooker table and makes moving and/or transporting the table difficult.
Wood playing surfaces, which are also covered with a cloth material, generally are not as dense and, therefore, not as heavy as slate playing surfaces. However, the less dense wood playing surfaces often do not provide for optimal ball rolling, as the wood playing surfaces tend to dent or become compressed at certain points upon impact from a ball creating “divots.” In addition, it can be difficult to find and/or create a wood playing surface that has the relative smoothness and flatness for proper billiard and/or snooker playing. Further, wood playing surfaces are likely to degrade or warp over time due to moisture accumulation in the wood.
In light of the above-identified limitations and drawbacks of existing playing surfaces or gaming tables, the need for an alternative playing surface is apparent. Specifically, it would be desirable to produce a playing surface for a gaming table having a density sufficient to create a slate-like playing surface, yet is lighter and more flexible than slate so as to be less susceptible to breakage and/or cracks. Further, it would be desirable to produce a playing surface that can be manufactured and installed in one single piece, is less susceptible to undesirable deformation or warping than conventional wood playing surfaces, and is easier and cheaper to manufacture and/or transport than slate playing surfaces.